Bank guarantees fall 26.5% in Cameroon
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Investiraucameroun
Cameroonian banks granted CFA 444.16 billion in new guarantees in the first half of 2026, 26.5% less than a year earlier. The second quarter nevertheless saw a 133% rebound, to CFA 310.75 billion, according to BEAC data analysed by Investir au Cameroun.
Cameroonian banks granted CFA 444.16 billion in new guarantees in the first half of 2026, compared with CFA 604.35 billion in the same period of 2025, a fall of 26.5%, according to calculations by Investir au Cameroun based on reports from the Bank of Central African States (BEAC). The BEAC’s report on the second quarter was published on 22 October.
After falling 52% in the first quarter, to CFA 133.41 billion, guarantees rebounded to CFA 310.75 billion between April and June, up 133% quarter on quarter. They nevertheless remained 4.8% below the figure recorded in the second quarter of 2025. The half-year contraction came amid a 14.8% decline in new bank commitments, including guarantees, which totalled CFA 3,140.25 billion.
Trends varied by beneficiary: new guarantees granted to large companies fell 36.5%, to CFA 320.55 billion, while those for SMEs rose 25.6%, to CFA 122.21 billion. SMEs’ share of signature commitments rose from 16.1% to 27.5% in a year, Investir au Cameroun reports.
